Long Beach Harbor Commission OKs $649.5 million contract for new Gerald Desmond Bridge

LONG BEACH — With a construction and design team now in place, work can begin next year on a new $1 billion span to replace the Gerald Desmond Bridge.

The Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission on Monday unanimously approved a $649.5 million contract to the joint venture team that includes Shimmick Construction Co. Inc., FCC Construction S.A., Impregilo S.p.A., Arup North America Ltd. and Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc.

The group will design and build the new 1.5-mile span that is expected to be about 50 feet taller than the existing bridge and allow for larger and newer ships to pass. It will feature six lanes and bicycle and pedestrian pathways.

"When the new bridge is finished, it will improve traffic flow and safety for the thousands of people who commute in and out of downtown Long Beach," said Christopher Lytle, executive director for the Port of Long Beach. "That will also benefit the truck drivers who move 15 percent of this nation's imports across the bridge. ... The bridge is vital for international trade and commuters."

Monday's vote has been 12 years in the making, port officials said. Built in 1968, the Gerald Desmond Bridge is a major corridor connecting Terminal Island and the Long Beach (710) Freeway for the nation's trade system. Over time, however, the bridge has been slowly deteriorating as traffic volumes have increased.

Netting, often called "diapers," had to be attached to the bridge to catch falling debris.

"While the existing bridge is still considered safe, it is clearly obsolete, and based on a state rating system of sufficiency, it's clearly time to replace the bridge," said Gary Cardamone, director of construction management for the port.

Work on the project, done under a project labor agreement, is expected to be finished in 2016 and will create about 3,000 jobs annually during the four years of construction.

"It is really essential to the connection of our two ports, of two communities and the future livelihood of so many of our customers," said Commissioner Doug Drummond.

Harbor Commission President Susan E. Anderson Wise said she is proud to be part of this project.

"This is just really one milestone in what has been going on for a long time," Wise said. "By this bridge, we are going to be serving the people of this community, the people of the region, the people of the nation and the people of the world. There's lots of opportunity that's going to be created."

In other business at Monday's meeting, business and community leaders voiced support for keeping the Port of Long Beach headquarters downtown.

Built in 1959, the current building on Harbor Plaza is too old and too expensive to fix, so Port officials have been searching for new office space for its 300 or so employees.

The ideal location would be in downtown Long Beach, Port officials say, but they are entertaining opportunities anywhere within Long Beach, including space near the Long Beach Airport.

Randy Gordon, president and CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, and Kraig Kojian, president and CEO of the Downtown Long Beach Associates, were among those rallying port officials Monday to keep the port administration building based in downtown.

"It is important to the future of the downtown community to keep the port's headquarters in the downtown Long Beach area," Kojian said.